A Life-Changing Prayer

One of the most life-changing prayers of my entire life has been my prayer to know God better. This is a radical departure from my past prayer life which was very focused on my circumstances like—my physical needs, health, success, family, relationships, etc. Praying to know Him better focuses me—on Him! As I know Him better, it gives me more of HIS perspective and I recognize that my circumstances aren’t nearly as critical as my need to know Him. Praying to know God better has provided me with a healthy foundation for all other petitionary prayer.

How does this work?

Paul the Apostle explained it well. He prayed: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” (Ephesians‬ ‭1:17‬) Then, he explained why this was of such great importance when he wrote: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” (‭vs. 18‬)

When the “eyes of our understanding are enlightened” about God, the knowledge of God works itself so deeply into our soul that it changes so that we have a deeper understanding of His magnificence. We are drawn to His greatness and love to an extent far greater than we’ve ever been drawn to any other person’s greatness and love. Our knowledge of Him crosses over the plain of intellectualism and is drawn into the valley of deep emotional attraction. We value the relationship more than the benefits. We don’t want to do anything that takes us away from Him.

When our prayers to know Him are answered, we find Him the most beautiful and desirable part of our existence. It transforms us. It transforms our prayers. We recognize that we need very little on this earth and our prayers become the work of Heaven.

William Walford understood this life-changing power when he wrote the hymn, “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” We recently released our version of this beautiful hymn and it expresses the message of this devotional. Feel free to listen!